An 'armed and dangerous' escaped prisoner is on the loose in Fairfax, Virginia

An armed prisoner was on the run early on Tuesday after escaping from a Virginia hospital, where shots were fired, police and CBS News said.

The prisoner had been in the custody of a private security guard at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church,Virginia, before breaking free and then fleeing with the officer's gun, the Fairfax County Police Department said on its Twitter account.

It was not clear who opened fire or whether anyone was injured in the incident, Fairfax County Police Department Spokeswoman Ellen Pittman told CBS.

The hospital is now on lockdown and nearby roads have been shut down, according to police.

Fairfax County police have warned that the escaped prisoner, Wossen Assaye, is "armed and dangerous" and that he's wearing a hospital gown and no shoes. Assaye is about 6 feet tall and 170 pounds.

Police are now hunting for the suspect.

There's a heavy police presence outside the hospital, with several squad cars on surrounding streets.

Representatives for Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, and for the police department could not be immediately reached for comment.

(Reuters reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; editing by John Stonestreet)